Safety closure device for containers



April 1, 1941 J. FANNU 2,236,622

SAFETY CLOSURE DEVICE FOR CONTAINERS Filed Dec. 15, 1939' T m. 11 T m. 18

IN VENTOR:

BY JUAN MARCO FANNU ATTO NEYS.

Patented Apr. 1, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 15, 1939, Serial No. 309,441 In Brazil December 15, 1938 2 Claims. (Cl. 215-21) difficult and requiring a good deal of labour, is

in fact practiced whenever the cost of thegenuine drink is such as to offer a compensation I therefor.

The main object of the present-invention is to provide an improved safety closure device for containers which shall be capable of effectively preventing the adulteration of the contents thereof.

For the sake of clearness, and merely by way of example, the invention will be described hereinafter with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is an assembly View of the closure device of the invention as applied on to a container;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4, are an elevational view, a. longitudinal sectional view and a plan top Vi6W,.

respectively, of the upper body portion. of the device of the invention;

Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are an elevational view, a longitudinal sectional view and a plan top view, respectively, of the lower body portion of the closure device;

Figs. 8 and 9 are an elevational view and a sectional view, respectively, of a packing ring of the device;

Fig. 10 is an assembly view of the device, without the finishing capsule; and

Figs. 11 and 12 are an interior view and an outer view, respectively, of the finishing capsule as it appears before being deformed by pressure for application against the container.

Referring to the drawing, the preferred embodiment of the invention therein illustrated comprises a lower portion I, an upper portion 9, a packing ring 4 and a finishing capsule I2.

The lower portion of the closure device of the invention is preferably, though not. necessarily, of special liquid resistant Bakelite, and comprises a hollow cylindrical body I which is inserted into the neck 2 of the container, as shown in Fig. 1,

said body I terminating in an upper outwardly extending flange 3 which corresponds in shape and dimensions with the upper edge of the neck 2 of the container. The cylindrical body I mounts a. packing ring 4 which is arranged between the upper flange 3 .of body I and the upper edge of neck 2 of the container when the body I is inserted into the neck 2. The hollow body I is open at. the top, and closed at the bottom except for a central opening formed in said bottom, which serves a valve seat for a small sphere 20 which acts as a ball check valve in closing up said central opening. The inner wall of the hollow part of body I is provided with a plurality of radially arranged inwardly extending vertical ribs 2|, which guide the sphere 20 in its to and fro movementfwithin the cavity or hollow of body I. The sphere 20, as guided by the ribs 2|, is free to play within the hollow of body I between its seat and the bottom of the upper portion 9 when the latter is arranged over the lowerportion I, as shown in Figs. 1 and 10 of the drawing. The radial ribs 21 also act to allow for free passage of the contents between the inner wall of the cavity of body I and the sphere 20 when the latter is moved away from its seat for with.- drawing the contents. The upper flange 3 of. body I is provided with an upper. circumferential bead I1, over which the base of the upper portion 9 of the device is. made to rest when portions I and 9 are assembled together. The circumferential bead I1 is provided with a plurality of radially arranged slots I8, which communicate with the hollow of body I. The. outer periphery of the circumferential bead IT is rounded off. so as to form, together with a correspondingly shaped. part'of the. base of. the

upper portion 9., a. circumferential groove I9 adapted to communicate together with: the radial.

slotsv I8 and the lower portion of the elongated.

grooves H! of the upper portion 9' of the: device. The upper portion of the. closure. device of the invention is preferably, though not necessarily,

sphere 20, thereby limiting the. outward movement. of the latter away from its base,. as previously stated. The bodyS is provided with. a.

plurality of elongated grooves I 0 cut. in. the outer periphery thereof, which grooves. communicate by their lower end with. the circumferential The baseofbody 9 isthus set at. a certain fixed height above the groove I9 which, as already explained, runs around both body portions I and 9 at the junction thereof, and which grooves I0 communicate by their upper end with a central cavity II of said body portion 9.

When the lower and upper portions of the device are applied to the neck of the container, as illustrated in Fig. 1, a finishing capsule I2 is applied over them and the neck 2 of the container.

This finishing capsule is made of ductile material, preferably of sheet aluminum, and is fixed in position on the neck of the container by pressing the downwardly extending apron thereof over and around the circumferential ribs of said neck, or by other suitable means according to the type of container. When thus applied this capsule tightens together the said body portions I and 9 and fixes the same tightly in position on the neck of the container, at the same time that it serves to close the outer open portions of the elongate grooves I0 of body 9 and the circumferential groove I9 around the junction of body portions I and 9. The capsule I2 is provided at the top with a central opening I3, from which a tubular portion I4 projects downwardly into the interior of the cavity II of body portion 9. The bottom of the tubular projection I4 of the capsule I2 is closed, and must be opened for use by means of a pointed tool when the container is to be emptied. The device may further include an additional obturator which can be applied over the capsule I2 or introduced into the tubular projection I4 of the latter.

For emptying the container, after opening up the bottom of the tubular projection I4 of capsule I2, the container is inclined, whereupon the sphere 20 moves away from its seat allowing the contents to flow through the central opening of the bottom of body I and through the space between the sphere 20 and the vertical ribs 2I in the hollow of body I, and thence through the radial slots I8 of bead I'I into the circumferential groove I9 around the junction of body portions I and 9, accumulating in the lower part of said circumferential groove, wherefrom the contents flow through the elongated groove or grooves I0 adjacent said lower part of circumferential groove I9, andthrough said elongated groove or grooves II] the contents flow into the cavity II of body portion 9, from which cavity II the contents finally fiow to the outside through the tubular projection I4 of the capsule I2.

From the foregoing, it is seen that it will be impossible to fill in the container from the outside after the application of the improved safety closure device of the present invention, for when attempting such operation the liquid contents would fill thecavity II of body 9 up to a level above the lower opening of the tubular projection I4 of capsule I2, thereby compressing the air enclosed in the container, whereby the flow will be automatically stopped by the counter pressure thus established by the said enclosed air. In case it should be attempted to fill the container with liquid under pressure, this again would not be possible on account of obturation of the central opening of the bottom of the body portion I by means of the sphere 2D, and even though the container were turned upside down, the said filling in operation would still be impossible, as the liquid under pressure would then cause the sphere 20 to be forcibly seated against the central opening of the bottom of body portion I. It is further to be noted that the shape of the closure device of the invention is such as to render impossible the insertion of a wire or the like for the purpose of raising the sphere 20 from its seat.

The material of the finishing capsule I2 is weakened along suitably predetermined lines, so that when struck from the top for opening the same it opens up and spreads out inside in the form of a star and allows the flow of contents out of the container, whereby it is made unnecessary to remove the capsule, and also no pieces break off and drop into the container when the capsule is thus struck from the top. The finishing capsule after being applied onto and pressed against the neck of the container in the manner previously described, may be machine stamped with numbers and wordings, in a way similar to the treatment of bank checks by special machines to prevent raising or alteration of said checlm. Thus if removal and subsequent replacement of the finishing capsule should be attempted, the said words and numbers would become blurred and altered, and this would evidence the fact that the safety closure device had been tampered with and the container refilled. This feature further contributes toward the object of insuring non-refillability of containers provided with the safety closure device of the present invention.

As an alternative, the body portions I and 9 instead of being separate might be made in the form of a single unitary piece, in which case the bottom portion of the lower part I would be made detachable, to be fixed in position by means of screw threads or in any other suitable manner.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof hereinbefore described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, as it will be evident to those skilled in the art that many modifications can be introduced without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as specified in the claims below.

Having thus described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, I claim:

1. A safety closure device for containers for preventing the adulteration of the contents thereof, characterized in that it comprises in combination of a lower cylindrical hollow body portion adapted to be inserted into the neck of the container and provided with an upper outwar-dly extending flange adapted to abut against the top edge of said neck with the insertion of a packing ring therebetween, said upper flange being provided with an upper circumferential bead rounded off at its outer periphery and provided with a plurality of radially arranged slots cut in said bead, the hollow of said lower cylindrical hollow portion being open at the top and closed at the bottom except for a central opening formed in said bottom and the inner wall of said hollow being provided with a plurality of radially arranged inwardly projecting vertical ribs, the said lower hollow cylindrical body portion being provided with a small sphere lodged in the hollow thereof in such a way as to normally seat against and close up said central bottom opening at the same time that it is free to play within said hollow wherein it is guided in its to and fro motion by means of the said radially arranged vertical ribs; an upper body portion adapted to be applied by its base over the said lower body portion so that the base of the upper body abuts against the said circumferential top bead 01 the lower body, the said base portion being also rounded ofi at its outer periphery so as to form with the rounded periphery of the said circumferential bead a continuous circumferential groove at the junction of the said lower and upper body portions, said upper body portion being provided at the top with a central cavity and at the outer periphery with a plurality of elongated grooves which serve to establish communication betweenlthe top cavity of the said upper body and the said circumferential groove formed at the junction point of the said upper and said lower bodies; and a finishing capsule made of ductile material, such for instance as sheet aluminum, which is adapted to be applied over the said lower and upper body portions and the neck of the container to tighten said body portions together and against the said neck and to cover the open portions of the said elongated grooves of the upper body and the circumferential groove at the junction point of the said upper and lower bodies, and which is adapted to be fixed in position on the neck of the container by pressing the downwardly extending apron thereof over and around suitable circumferential ribs in said neck, the said finishing capsule being provided at the top with a central opening from which a tubular portion is made to project downwardly into the interior of the top cavity of the upper body portion, the bottom of said tubular projection being closed and being adapted to be opened for use by means,

' for instance, of a pointed tool when the container is to be emptied, the finishing capsule is adapted, after application on the container, to be machine stamped with number and wordings, and if desired the material of the capsule may be weakened along suitably predetermined lines in such a way that when struck from the top for opening the same it opens up and spreads inside in the form of a star without any pieces breaking off and dropping into the container.

2. A safety closure device according to claim 1, wherein one or more outwardly inclined perforations start from'the base of the top portion of the device towards opposite sides of the latter and extend as far as the exterior surface of the portion through which they pass in the form of channels covered by the cap, said channels being directed upward to the upper edge of a central cavity within said upper portion, and a tubular projection starting from a central opening in the top of said cap and penetrating into said cavity, the lower end of said central opening being closed preparatory to being opened when the container to which the device is attached is to be used.

JUAN MARCO FANNU. 

